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Scuba Diving 101: Dealing with Vertigo and DCS

Learning scuba diving requires basic knowledge on proper breathing and body movements when swimming. At times, if a person is really serious about his hobby, he should be highly knowledgeable on the different untoward events and conditions associated with scuba diving. Scuba diving is really cool and fun but sometimes a scuba diver feels vertigo and experience decompression sickness or DCS. Let us learn more about vertigo and decompression sickness.

 

Vertigo is the feeling that the world around you is spinning, tilting or moving, and it can be a result of ear infections or chronic condition like Meniere's disease. Vertigo is common among scuba divers because of pressure changes when a diver descends even having a difficulty in equalizing the pressure in the middle ear. To be specific, it is called alternobaric vertigo as a result of unequal middle-ear pressure that is communicated in the inner ears. Scuba divers who experience vertigo may also experience vomiting and nausea, and it is more common when the scuba diver ascends. Vertigo is an uncomfortable condition that can also lead to catastrophic problems, so it is important to be careful when descending and ascending to promote gradual equalization of the pressures within the middle ear throughout your diving experience. You can also learn more about scuba diving by checking out the post at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/giant-sunfish-video_us_561e4af6e4b050c6c4a379ea.

 

Decompression illness greatly affects scuba divers, astronauts, aviators and compressed-air workers. The risk factors include long and deep dives, hard deep exercises, cold water and rapid ascents. Decompression sickness is also known as caisson disease or bends, which is a cause of inadequate decompression following an exposure to increased pressure. The body tissues absorb nitrogen during diving from the breathing gas in equal proportion to its surrounding pressure, but if the pressure is reduced, the nitrogen tend to come out of solution, forming bubbles in the bloodstream and body tissues. The nitrogen bubbles are absorbed by near joints causing joint pain or "bend", high levels of nitrogen in the spinal cord and brain may lead to numbness and paralysis, and penetration through the respiratory and circulatory system may lead to shock. Know more at nj scuba diving lessons here!

 

The most common signs and symptoms of decompression sickness are numbness or tingling, joint pains, muscle weakness and inability to empty a full bladder. To prevent DCS recreational divers should be advised to dive conservatively regardless if using dive tables or computers. Select a table depth of ten feet or three meters deeper especially when you're diving in cold water or when you're diving under strenuous conditions. For more information about nj scuba diving classes and certification, we are here to help you out. Feel free to visit our website or homepage.

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